Difference between revisions of "Mind flayer"

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(From what I know, the amnesia is annoying and helmets do not provide complete protection.)
(When fighting a mind flayer)
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''Avoid melee.'' Try to attack the mind flayer with ranged attacks. Those annoying master mind flayers can resist some magic attacks like [[force bolt]], but you can still throw [[dagger]]s or other [[weapon]]s.
 
''Avoid melee.'' Try to attack the mind flayer with ranged attacks. Those annoying master mind flayers can resist some magic attacks like [[force bolt]], but you can still throw [[dagger]]s or other [[weapon]]s.
  
''Wear a helmet.'' A helmet has a good but imperfect chance of preventing the mind flayer's tentacles from reaching you, especially if you flee as soon as possible.
+
''Wear a helmet.'' A helmet has a good but imperfect chance of preventing the mind flayer's tentacles from reaching you, especially if you flee as soon as possible. Greased helmets stay on longer than ungreased helmets under mindflayer attack.
  
 
==== Special tactics ====
 
==== Special tactics ====

Revision as of 09:34, 24 June 2006

Mind flayers and master mind flayers, represented by the letter h, are especially perilous monsters, capable of eating your brain, resulting in feeling stupid, becoming forgetful, or perishing as your last thought fades away. The wearing of helmet will sometimes protect you against the brain-eating attack. If you manage to eat ones' corpse, you become smarter.

They can sense your presence remotely, and you theirs. If you have telepathy (for example from eating the corpse of a floating eye), then mind flayers can remotely attack you within a certain radius; they "lock on to your telepathy".

They make excellent pets, as they make quick work of shopkeepers, and their telepathic outreach is then soothing.

Strategy

Be careful not to run up to a mind flayer in melee thinking that it is a dwarf; for some players, dwarves are easy kills while mind flayers are very dangerous. (Even in color, dwarves and mind flayers are both red h. Master mind flayers are purple h.) If you have felt the mind flayer's presence, that is your cue to check whether that h is or is not a dwarf.

When fighting a mind flayer

Be cautious when fighting against a mind flayer.

Obtain a unicorn horn. There are many other good reasons to have a unihorn, but you can apply one to recover your lost intelligence; however it does not help against amnesia.

Avoid melee. Try to attack the mind flayer with ranged attacks. Those annoying master mind flayers can resist some magic attacks like force bolt, but you can still throw daggers or other weapons.

Wear a helmet. A helmet has a good but imperfect chance of preventing the mind flayer's tentacles from reaching you, especially if you flee as soon as possible. Greased helmets stay on longer than ungreased helmets under mindflayer attack.

Special tactics

It is possible to stone a (master) mind flayer. If you have a source of cockatrice corpses or eggs, or you find a cockatrice located conveniently near a mind flayer, wear gloves, wield the corpse (or egg), and strike the flayer in melee. It only takes one hit (unless the flayer eats a lizard corpse).

Flayers can and will resist taming; the charm monster spell might not work, or it might work. Be prepared to have the flayer attack you if your attempt of taming fails.

More information